Bike Accident Lawyers in Floral Park, NY

The Village of Floral Park, New York has many cyclists who ride for exercise or pleasure or to commute to work. Floral Park is located on the western edge of Nassau County and is adjacent to the Queens neighborhood known as North Floral Park. Bicyclists in Floral Park run the same risk of accident and injury as other New York City cyclists when sharing roads with motorists.

Our attorneys at the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe bring a unique level of understanding to injuries suffered in bicycle accident cases. Richard Jaffe is a licensed EMT as well as an attorney. He has provided emergency care to accident victims and understands the kinds of trauma a bicycle crash can cause and the struggle that accident victims can face on the road to recovery.

We provide personalized service, which includes frequent communication. As a Cohen & Jaffe client, you’ll work directly with our law partners Stephen Cohen and Richard Jaffe. You will have our cell phone numbers so you can reach us whenever you need to talk about your case.

We will thoroughly investigate the bicycle accident and your injuries and pursue maximum compensation for you. Our objective is to recover full and fair compensation for you. Our skilled bicycle accident attorneys will determine how and why you were hurt and identify every possible party to be held accountable. Depending on the details of the bike accident, we may seek to recover compensation through the driver’s car insurance, your own auto insurance (for uninsured or hit-and-run drivers), or other parties, such as an on-the-job driver’s employer or the maker of a defective auto or bicycle part.

We will make sure you have all the support you need. As soon as you engage the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP near Floral Park, our team will work to ensure you are receiving all the medical care you need to heal from your injuries. As we proceed with your claim, we can notify creditors of our representation of you and that they may delay collection efforts pending the resolution of the claim. Moving forward, we can respond on your behalf to all inquiries regarding the accident and its aftermath, so you can concentrate on your health.

The Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe is a small law firm with a reputation for aggressive and effective representation of accident victims in Floral Park and throughout Long Island. Our Nassau County bicycle accident lawyers are committed to fighting for justice for those who have been hurt by careless drivers. Call us or fill out our online contact form today to set up a free legal consultation about a bicycle accident claim.

How Common Are Bicycle Accidents in New York?

Bicycle accidents are on the increase across the New York City metropolitan area. Some attribute it to the rise in the number of ride-service vehicles on the road, like Uber and Lyft drivers, as well as the increase in delivery trucks serving e-commerce retail sites.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that traffic fatalities among bicyclists increased by 6.3 percent from 2017 to 2018, and that the 857 bicycle accident fatalities in 2018 was the highest total since 1990.

NHTSA says three-fourths of all fatal bike accidents in 2017 happened in urban areas. Ninety-six percent of the cyclists killed were involved in crashes with a car or other vehicle. Pickups, vans, and sport utility vehicles were involved in 44 percent of crashes, making them the most frequently involved vehicle in fatal bicycle accidents.

The bicycling and walking advocacy group, the People Powered Movement, says urban bicycle accidents tend to happen more frequently and result in more serious injuries because cities tend to have more heavily traveled roads and less flexibility to install bicycle safety features than suburban and rural areas.

Common Injuries in Floral Park Bicycle Accidents

In most accidents, a bicyclist is simply run down by a negligent motorist who fails to see the rider. NHTSA says most bicycle accidents are not at intersections.

Typically, a driver who has failed to look for a bicycle in traffic has:

Violated the cyclist’s right of way

Failed to yield to the bicyclist

Run a red light or stop sign and hit the bicyclist.

Some motorists fail to allow a bicyclist to occupy the full width of the lane, as the law requires. As they pass alongside a cyclist, they sideswipe the bicycle and its rider. Other bike riders are injured in “dooring” accidents, in which someone getting out of a parallel-parked car suddenly opens a door in the bicyclist’s path. These are especially common accidents in the City.

It’s not unusual for bicyclists to be struck by hit-and-run drivers. Drivers involved in bicycle accidents are more likely than drivers in car accidents to flee the scene.

Injuries in bicycle accidents result from the impact of the collision and the secondary impact of the cyclist falling to the pavement or against another object. Sometimes a vehicle runs over a bicyclist.

Common injuries in bicycle accidents include:

Fractures of arms, legs, hands, feet, pelvis, ribs and facial bones.

Head injuries, including concussions and more serious traumatic brain injury (TBI). These are more common among riders who are not wearing helmets.

Back and spine injuries, including paralysis (paraplegia or tetraplegia).

Vital organ injuries, such as to the heart, lungs, liver, and bowels.

Cuts, contusions, and abrasions.

In addition to emergency medical care, the victim of a serious bicycle accident is likely to require hospitalization, surgery, and rehabilitation. A bicycle collision with a car or truck may leave the cyclist permanently disabled.

A bicycle accident should be reported to police right away by calling 911. If you are injured, you or the caller should request an ambulance. When the ambulance arrives, cooperate with medics and go to the hospital if they suggest that you should.

If you or a companion are able to after a bicycle accident, you are expected to exchange information as you normally would after a car accident. Get from the driver who hit you:

Full name and contact information

Auto insurance company and policy number

Driver’s license or permit

Vehicle make, model and year

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

License plate number

It will help a potential claim if you can document the accident with photos or videos. Photograph damage to your bike and your injuries, damage to the vehicle that hit you, skid marks or lack of skid marks on the roadway, and any environmental factors that contributed to the crash. Take a video of witnesses to the accident stating their name and contact information (spelling out if necessary) and describing what they saw.

If you don’t go to the hospital in the ambulance, see a doctor on your own within 24 hours. Some serious injuries, especially potentially fatal head injuries, don’t show symptoms until hours later. Seeing a doctor also documents your injuries, which is central to most bicycle accident insurance claims.

Call a Bicycle Accident Lawyer near Floral Park, NY

To understand the compensation available after a bicycle accident, contact an experienced bicycle accident attorney. In Floral Park, NY, the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP, is here to help you get your life back on track and to fight for full compensation for you.

In most bicycle accident cases involving motorist negligence, our lawyers build a solid case that allows us to demand full compensation for:

Past and future medical bills

Lost wages during recovery and in the future if your injuries diminish your earning power

Repair or replacement of your bicycle

Pain and suffering

We urge you to speak with one of our attorneys before agreeing to an offer from any insurance company. Insurance companies know the costs and losses associated with severe injuries suffered in accidents. Their goal is to pay you as little as possible to settle a claim. An experienced Floral Park personal injury lawyer can prevent an insurance company from taking advantage of you.

Our goal as Floral Park bike accident lawyers is to recover every dime you deserve after a serious bicycle accident. If you have been injured in a bicycle accident badly enough to require medical treatment, let an attorney from Cohen & Jaffe speak to you about the compensation our experienced and aggressive attorneys believe they can recover for you. Contact us for a free initial consultation today.

Testimonials

“Avvo Recommendation Rich Jaffe has provided us with the best legal service possible. Not only is he very knowledgeable in all legal matters, he is also of great moral character and a truly decent person. He was very accessible and prompt with any questions or concerns we had. We were highly impressed with the services he and his firm provided and would absolutely use them again if ever needed. We give him our highest recommendation!”

– Jill & Jonathan Schecter

“I can't say enough positive things about Rich, who has represented me for several years now. He's a true professional who knows his field well and has a way of making me feel at ease during even the most difficult times. I've been in a few tough spots in several different areas of the law, and Rich has always been there for me with sound advice and positive results.”

– Anonymous client

“If you ever have any doubts about your current lawyer, and would like to see what a real law firm is supposed to be, then I highly recommend this firm. From start to finish, Richard Jaffe , Stephen Tiger, and the whole staff genuinely care about you and your family, and whatever else is important to you. Richard took the time to explain everything and answered all my questions in a way I can understand and feel comfortable with. I felt completely neglected and unimportant to my previous lawyer. He acted as if he was doing me a favor. I found this firm through Google, and saw the positive reviews and decided to contact them. Immediately I knew this was the right firm for me. You will not be disappointed!!”